New Haven mourns loss of city historian, who made a little history himself (video)

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NEW HAVEN -- City historian Richard Hegel loved New Haven history so much he surrounded himself not only with meticulous archives, but also local memorabilia, including a room covered with old city maps, a collection of obsolete bank notes and some 100 duck decoys made right here.

But Hegel, 83, who died Tuesday at his home, loved people too and combined that with his passion for history.

"He was very anxious to share his knowledge with others," said close friend and fellow Yale University alumni Carleton Loucks. "He was an outgoing, friendly person ... A very, very interesting guy."

Loucks and Carleton were both members of The Yale Club and at one time fellow officers. In 2001, the Richard Hegel Award was instituted there. The award, which began at $500 and has since been raised significantly, goes to a Yale University undergraduate student who provides the most well-written paper on an aspect of New Haven. In years when it was too tough to pick a top entry out of two or three, Hegel threw in the money to award more than one student, Loucks said.

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. said any time he was looking for some arcane piece of New Haven history he'd call Hegel and get the answer.

"He reveled in his connection to New Haven," DeStefano said. "He was a generous temperament ... I don't say anyone's irreplaceable - not even myself - but he was authentic and unique, a real sweetheart."

DeStefano said there are no immediate plans for a successor and the position is one that has to be earned.

James Campbell, librarian and curator of manuscripts at New Haven Historical Society, said when he first started working there in 1988, most people would walk right by him and head toward his predecessor, but Hegel was different - he always stopped to talk to Campbell.

"Dick was a very nice guy - the kind of person who was legitimately interested in everyone," Campbell said.

He said Hegel was a graduate of Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University, where he was director of Library Services, emeritus, after a long career there at Buley Library, and also Gateway Community College. Campbell said Hegel never considered himself a professional historian even though he wrote many books and papers on New Haven, covering a wide variety of topics, including co-authoring "The Illustrated History of New Haven."

Campbell said Hegel once held the distinction of being the only Yale University graduate also to earn a degree from Gateway. It could not be determined if he still holds that distinction.

"He was the kind of person who knew everything that was going on in New Haven," Campbell said. "He had his ear to the ground, but he always used it to build people up," rather than for anything negative, Campbell said.

John Herzan, a preservation services officer with The New Haven Preservation Trust, said Hegel was "a very, very loyal supporter of historic preservation."

Herzan said Hegel was "dedicated, thoughtful, supportive, encouraging," and always appreciative. The historian also kept meticulous and complete records.